The crowd

The drinks

The food

Our Review

Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.It would be easy—in a city stuffed to the gills with international cuisines such as Chinese, Thai, and Italian—to take a pass on Caribbean food, particularly if you’re lodging in Manhattan. But Crown Heights has a clutch of, well, clutch options for you, including one that greets you with a banner reading “We Believe in You!” and a chef with a glowing smile. It’s a lot of hospitality for such a tiny place.

What was the crowd like?By and large, this spot skews local, but there are also a few Airbnb visitors staying in Crown Heights, marveling at its beauty. This is an ethnically and economically diverse crowd—and a chatty one. If you get something that looks better than what your neighbor snagged, odds are you’re going to be asked to talk about it.

What should we be drinking?There’s no booze here, but you won’t miss it. San Pellegrino, mauby (a bark-based drink vaguely reminiscent of root beer), sorrel, and water are the orders of the day.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.Chef Rawlston Williams is from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and received classical French culinary training in the States. The result is a one-two punch of flavor so vibrant that you might hear your neighbor gasp aloud after her first bite of, say, falling-off-the-bone lamb shank, modestly plated in a brown paper box on a pile of rice and chickpeas and laced brightly with scallions, fresh herbs, and a coconut-ginger sauce. And sure, there’s jerk chicken, but have you seen what Williams can do with salmon? Tofu? His attention to detail shines.

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?If chef is there, he’s liable to call over and find out how you liked your dish, and how your day is going, and whether you live in the neighborhood. He’s the sort of guy who will see a homeless woman sitting on the bench outside his shop and—instead of scolding her—will bring her supper.

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?Come for Caribbean cuisine executed at its zenith, or bring the friend who’s never tried it. This is a date spot only if both parties are food adventurers. See if you don’t both walk out feeling a little sunnier.